UN Women in Sri Lanka supports the development of national policies and standards, as well as Sri Lanka’s commitments to monitor and report against these international standards, towards sustained global progress.

UN Women and UNDP have piloted a training programme on Non-Violent Communication – a method which has found success in international mediation and conflict resolution settings – in Bangladesh, the Maldives and Sri Lanka. The project was generously supported by the Government of Australia and the European Union. This brief provides an overview of the approaches used in the pilot project and presents results from the evaluations of the trainings.

This study addressed this gap in the literature by analysing primary and secondary data from private, formal enterprises in the manufacturing, trade, and service sectors to understand the attributes of firms that influence the demand for women workers.

These statistics set the tone for a series of conversations jointly hosted by UN Women and the French Embassy in Sri Lanka, in the broader context of COVID-19 and the parallel worsening of gender equality. In the course of the six discussions – each based on the thematic focus areas of the Generation Equality Forum – experts and activists repeatedly highlighted three underlying problems in relation to gender equality and women’s rights in Sri Lanka.

Violent extremism has emerged as one of the leading challenges to the realization of sustainable peace globally. Across South and South-East Asia, violent extremism poses a direct threat to inclusive development by fuelling intolerance, forcibly displacing communities, exacerbating cycles of insecurity and armed conflict, exploiting existing inequalities, and obstructing the enjoyment of human rights and the rule of law. Underpinning this violence are gender stereotypes that are used to radicalize and recruit men and women, as well as girls and boys, to violent extremist groups.

Now, nearly a decade later, the TRIANGLE in ASEAN programme (ILO) and Safe and Fair programme (ILO and UN Women) have conducted a similar survey of 4,099 nationals to track trends of attitudes in three of the above countries. One of the original four countries was changed, with the Republic of Korea replaced by Japan, given its emergence as an important destination country for low-skilled migrant workers in Asia. Certain questions from the first survey were repeated to allow for identification...

This document aims to inform Sri Lanka’s national policy on the protection of rights of women migrant domestic workers. Guided by normative commitments and international standards on gender equality and migrant labour rights, the document captures the concerns of a diverse set of stakeholders, including government officials, civil society representatives, and the most marginalized women migrant domestic workers.

The study is the first of its kind in Sri Lanka to use a gender budgeting framework to examine government plan, policies and budgets and its impact on women with disabilities. In this study, 400 persons with disabilities covering 4 districts were surveyed on difficulties faced in entering and remaining in the labour force. Evidence shows that they encounter multiple barriers in access to economic opportunities and women with disabilities are twice as disadvantaged...

Pressure has been building on addressing the needs of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) survivors in Sri Lanka, but political will is needed to deal with CRSV in a cohesive manner. The proliferation of National Action Plans and policies does not ensure their implementation. Resources need to be allocated for the specific needs of CRSV survivors to be addressed. Cases of CRSV must be documented in a more systematic manner, maintaining the confidentiality of the survivor, so that...

The South Asia region has witnessed consistent economic growth over the past decades, resulting in rapid modernization. Increased commitments to women’s empowerment have resulted in progressive policies. Despite best efforts, however, some gaps remain. Empirical studies indicate towards the presence of islands of marginalisation within societies which are otherwise known for their strong social fabric and spirit of kinship. One such group that requires urgent attention is of widows. As...

This report tracks the progress made by women in South Asia in areas such as violence against women, and economic empowerment. This was the base document for the Seventh South Asia Regional Ministerial Conference in October 2010.

This report covers a joint resolution by women peace activists from South Asia that was presented to the United Nations Secretary-General.

This report presents the results and successes of joint programmes between the Government of India and UN Women to strengthen the leadership skills and confidence of women leaders in gram panchayats (village councils) so they can make informed decisions that benefit all.

This report presents the external evaluation of the UNIFEM Regional Anti-Trafficking Programme (2000-2009) in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

The study examines the root causes of trafficking in women, especially for forced labor, both within Sri Lanka and to the Gulf countries.